The Good News - Jesus' Message

How do we know Jesus existed?

The Bible tells us of a man named Jesus who existed about 2000 years ago. If we look at the "evidence" for Jesus existence, I believe that it is without a doubt that this man lived. Josh McDowell in his book, A Ready Defense states:

An incontrovertible reference to Jesus would first of all have to be from an eyewitness. But outside of Christian testimony, no surviving historical literature could even be expected to contain eyewitness references to Him. So the modern historian must seek non-Christian evidence for Jesus the same way he does for every other person of antiquity who was considered insignificant by the authorities of his day. He must analyze the credibility of secondhand reports.

Combine secondhand reports of Jesus (both non-Christian and Christian) with the eyewitness accounts recorded in the Gospels, and you will find that Jesus compares extremely favorably with other people in history whose historicity in not doubted.

This being known allow me to list a few of the non-Christian authors who did make mention of Jesus to help you see the evidence. Cornelius Tacitus (born A.D. 52-54) was a Roman historian, in A.D. 112. In his writings he alludes to the death of Jesus and to the existence of Christians at Rome. Lucian of Samosata was a satirist of the second century. He scornfully spoke of Christ and Christians. He also alluded to Christ as "the man who was crucified in Palestine because He introduced this new cult into the world." Flavius Josephus (born A.D. 37) was a Jewish historian, and became a Pharisee at age 19; in A.D. 66. He mentions the man of Jesus as well as His death and resurrection and that He appeared to His disciples. He also makes a reference to James the brother of Jesus. Suetonius (A.D. 120) was a Roman historian who mentioned the Jews being disturbed at the "instigation" of Christ. Plinius Secundus, Pliny The Younger was the governor of Bithynia in Asia Minor (A.D. 112), he mentioned he killed many Christians.

There are also other men who mentioned Jesus and Christians whom I will list off: Tertullian was a Jurist - theologian of Carthage, Thallus was a Samaritan-born historian, Phlegon was a first century historian, and the Letter of Mara Bar-Serapion.

As you can see there is more than just the Bible that talks about Jesus and what He did. The evidence to support His existence if far greater than some other men who are believed to have existed, leading to the conclusion that Jesus was a real person.

How do we know that Jesus is really God?

Now that we know there was a man named Jesus who existed about 2000 years ago we must look at who He was. This man according to both Christian and non-Christian history claimed to be God and the messiah (or Savior) for all people. We now need to look at this idea and decide whether we believe Him to be or not. As with any person claiming anything you must decide weather that person is a liar, lunatic, or telling the truth.

Was Jesus a liar? If Jesus, when He made His claims to be God, knew that He was not God, then we must conclude that He was lying and deliberately deceiving His followers. And if He was lying then He was also a hypocrite because He told others that they should be honest. Also, if He was lying you must think of Him as a very evil man because He was telling people to trust Him for their eternal destinies. Lastly, He would have been a fool because it was for His "lie" that He was killed (in a very painful and devastating way). If this was the case we cannot see Jesus as being a good moral teacher. If He was a liar there were no morals inside Him at all.

By looking at the accounts of who Jesus was and the impact He had (seen even today in great ways) on people in such positive ways, how then could a person conclude He was a liar. He must have shown some kind of deception or error to those who were closest to Him yet every disciple (save one) died for who they believe Jesus to be. The kind of trust that would cause a person to give all, including their life, to such a person must point to truth. There is no way a man could live every day with a group of people and pretend to be something or somebody He is not, without there being some errors. Based on that we can conclude that Jesus was not a liar because no one could lie to that many people for that long and still have those people willing to die for him.
Was Jesus a Lunatic? It is possible to sincerely believe something and yet still be wrong. This is another argument for Jesus. He may have thought that He was God but He was just a few crackers short of a lunch.

In the culture that Jesus lived, if he had claimed to be God and asked people to trust Him with their eternal destiny it would not have been just a lightly looked upon mistake. He would have been deemed the looniest of the loony.

Looking at the life Jesus lived we start to see problems with this theory. When you look at His life you don't see abnormalities and imbalances that we know usually go along with being insane (no matter how severe). His life showed consistency, maturity, and character. You would not expect this from a lunatic. And again you must look at the people who followed Him. To follow a lunatic would soon prove to be more of a circus than a life changing and life giving experience. In sole fact that the disciples and others followed Him and lived closely with Him only to give their lives to Him would demonstrate that Jesus was playing with a full deck. You must also ask yourself the question, "If Jesus was a lunatic, how then could he have said and done some of the most profound things this world has ever seen?" The only logical conclusion is that He could not have done all He did if He were truly loony. This leaves us with only one other conclusion.

Was Jesus God? This is the only logical conclusion. If He were neither a liar nor a lunatic then He must have been the Lord of the universe. There is no other option. You must then decide is this God someone I want to know or not. Before you make your decision though you should know something about this God. You should also know what it means to live without this God. That is what draws us to the message of Jesus Christ.

What is Jesus' Message?

Jesus want's you to know that God loves you.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."

Jesus told us that God wants you to know Him personally
John 17:3 "And this is the way to have eternal life - to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth."

Jesus told us we are separated from God and His love
Isaiah 59:2 "But there is a problem - your sins have cut you off from God. Because of your sin, he has turned away and will not listen anymore."
Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard."

Jesus told us of our need for Him
John 10:10 "…My purpose is to give life in all its fullness."

Jesus told us of our destiny without Him
Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord."
2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 "…bringing judgment on those who don't know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power."

Jesus told us the way to God
1 Timothy 2:5 "For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and people. He is the man Christ Jesus."
John 14:6 "Jesus told him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me."

Jesus told us that we must accept Him into our life John 1:12 "But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God."
Ephesians 2:8-9 "God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it."

A call of response

You must first admit that you have sinned (done things God did not want you to and that were not right).

You must believe that Jesus died for your sins, which paid the penalty that God has for sin.

Speak to God and invite Jesus Christ to live in and through you.

Say something like this, "Dear Lord, I want to know you personally. I am willing, with your help, to turn from my sins. Thank you for sending Jesus who died in my place and rose again to be my Savior. Come into my life and lead me. Amen."

If you prayed that prayer and really meant it, then you are now a child of God. Congratulations! WE PRAISE GOD! Nothing can ever take this relationship with God away from you. Call Dan Sommer, our Student Ministries Pastor, right away (269-429-1041), he wants to talk with you!

Jesus assures us

Romans 10:9 "For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

John 1:12 "But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God."

Revelation 3:20 "Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends."

Colossians 1:14 "God has purchased our freedom with his blood and has forgiven all our sins."

1 John 5:11-13 "And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. So whoever has God's Son has life; whoever does not have his Son does not have life. I write this to you who believe in the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life."

Philippians 3:8 "Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, I have discarded everything else counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ."

Now what

I suggest getting and reading a Bible every day (start with the book of John in the New Testament). Talk to God all the time about what you are doing and thinking (i.e. pray). Find and get involved in a church that is consistent with the message of Jesus. Tell people of your new relationship with Jesus. Tell people of Jesus message.

*All verses are from the New Living Translation

The Chapel is a growing church made up of individuals and families like you, who care for and support one another with the love of Jesus Christ. We are committed to teaching God's truth and applying it in our daily lives. We offer many ministries for children, students and adults, as well as two services each Sunday morning, which we'd love to have you attend. We hope that you will find The Chapel your place to belong.